“A dog,” said Mr. Baldock, in his lecture-room style, which was capable of rousing almost anybody to violent irritation, “has an extraordinary power of bolstering up the human ego. To a dog, the human being who owns him is a god to be worshipped, and not only worshipped but, in our present decadent state of civilisation, also loved.
“The possession of a dog goes to most people’s heads. It makes them feel important and powerful.”
“Humph,” said Mr. Franklin, “and would you call that a good thing?”
“Almost certainly not,” said Mr. Baldock. “But I have the inveterate weakness of liking to see human beings happy. I’d like to see Laura happy.”
“Laura’s perfectly happy,” said Laura’s father. “And anyway she’s got a kitten,” he added.
“Pah,” said Mr. Baldock. “It’s not at all the same thing. As you’d realise if you troubled to think. But that’s what is wrong with you. You never think. Look at your argument just now about economic conditions at the time of the Reformation. Do you suppose for one moment-”
And they were back at it, hammer and tongs, enjoying themselves a great deal, with Mr. Baldock making the most preposterous and provocative statements.
Yet a vague disquiet lingered somewhere in Arthur Franklin’s mind, and that evening, as he came into his wife’s room where she was changing for dinner, he said abruptly:
“Laura’s quite all right, isn’t she? Well and happy and all that?”
His wife turned astonished blue eyes on him, lovely dark cornflower-blue eyes, like the eyes of her son Charles.
“Darling!” she said. “Of course! Laura’s always all right. She never even seems to have bilious attacks like most children. I never have to worry about Laura. She’s satisfactory in every way. Such a blessing.”
A moment later, as she fastened the clasp of her pearls round her neck, she asked suddenly: “Why? Why did you ask about Laura this evening?”
Arthur Franklin said vaguely:
“Oh, just Baldy-something he said.”
“Oh, Baldy!” Mrs. Franklin’s voice held amusement. “You know what he’s like. He likes starting things.”
And on an occasion a few days later when Mr. Baldock had been to lunch, and they came out of the dining-room, encountering Nannie in the hall, Angela Franklin stopped her deliberately and asked in a clear slightly raised voice:
‘There’s nothing wrong with Miss Laura, is there? She’s quite well and happy?”
“Oh yes, Madam.” Nannie was positive and slightly affronted. “She’s a very good little girl, never gives any trouble. Not like Master Charles.”
“So Charles does give you trouble, does he?” said Mr. Baldock.
Nannie turned to him deferentially.
“He’s a regular boy, sir, always up to pranks! He’s getting on, you know. He’ll soon be going to school. Always high-spirited at this age, they are. And then his digestion is weak, he gets hold of too many sweets without my knowing.”
An indulgent smile on her lips and shaking her head, she passed on.
“All the same, she adores him,” said Angela Franklin as they went into the drawing-room.
“Obviously,” said Mr. Baldock. He added reflectively: “I always have thought women were fools.”
“Nannie isn’t a fool-very far from it.”
“I wasn’t thinking of Nannie.”
“Me?” Angela gave him a sharp, but not too sharp, glance, because after all it was Baldy, who was celebrated and eccentric and was allowed a certain licence in rudeness, which was, actually, one of his stock affectations.
“I’m thinking of writing a book on the problem of the second child,” said Mr. Baldock.
“Really, Baldy! You don’t advocate the only child, do you? I thought that was supposed to be unsound from every point of view.”
“Oh! I can see a lot of point in the family of ten. That is, if it was allowed to develop in the legitimate way. Do the household chores, older ones look after the younger ones, and so on. All cogs in the household machine. Mind you, they’d have to be really of some use-not just made to think they were. But nowadays, like fools, we split ’em up and segregate ’em off, each with their own ‘age group’! Call it education! Pah! Flat against nature!”
“You and your theories,” said Angels indulgently. “But what about the second child?”